The Cheatham County Commission will vote Oct. 16 whether to approve a multimillion-dollar purchase of a shopping center to relocate county offices, a consideration that’s a long time coming for local officials.

County Mayor Kerry McCarver called the plan to purchase Sycamore Square Shopping Center, located in Ashland City on Frey Street, an “outside the box” idea to accommodate additional spacing needs and future growth.

He discussed updates to the negotiation and funding at a Budget Committee meeting Wednesday.

County officials have considered purchasing the Sycamore Square Shopping Center – among other options – for more than a year.

County officials had also previously discussed building a new structure where the Cheatham County Public Library, Health Department, Emergency Medical Services and other offices are located.

McCarver said negotiations with the property owners dropped the cost to purchase the space from about $4.2 million to $3.1 million – as low as he believes is negotiable – and capped a “not to exceed” cost of $5 million in place to cover any additional renovations following the purchase.

Offices currently occupying the Tucker Empson County Office Building on South Main Street, such as the county clerk, trustees and register of deeds, for example, would relocate to the new space if commissioners opt to purchase the shopping center.

Currently, the Sycamore Square Shopping Center is where Food Lion, Tractor Supply and other businesses are located, and where Ashland City’s first Walmart went in.

Those businesses would not have to relocate if the county pursues the purchase. They would pay their leases to the county, and the county would determine what to do with those spaces if a business does not renew a lease.

McCarver said “nowhere in the foreseeable future” would the county need to acquire more space from the existing businesses.

The shopping center is approximately 102,000 square feet and includes 548 parking spots on about 17 acres. The property was valued at $4.6 million in September 2016.

In comparison, McCarver said the Tucker Empson County Office Building is about 9,600 square feet.

The plan to consider purchasing the shopping center dates back to February 2016, when commissioners asked the late Mayor David McCullough in a meeting to track down the asking price of the property and its worth.

“We know at some point down the road and as the county continues to grow, we will need more space,” Commissioner Gary Binkley said in a March 2016 Times story. “We are just trying to gather information to determine the best direction for the county — whatever will be the least cost to the taxpayers and still fulfill our needs.”

McCarver said if the commission gives the “green light” at its Oct. 16 meeting to purchase the shopping center, it could take between six months to a year to relocate.

He hopes that, if approved, the relocation and increased traffic to the area could “recycle” the center and “bring (it) back to life.”

Kelly Fisher, reporter for the Ashland City Times, can be reached at KPFisher@gannett.com, 615-801-3866 or on Twitter at @KellyPFisher.